


Art of Paris

by ficartsy



Category: Carmen Sandiego (Cartoon 2019)
Genre: F/M, Kissing, Stealing, carmen sandiego - Freeform, gray crackle, mission, red crackle
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-16
Updated: 2019-02-16
Packaged: 2019-10-29 13:13:31
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,037
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17808602
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ficartsy/pseuds/ficartsy
Summary: A red crackle fic where Carmen is in Paris, on a mission and Gray just so happens to be there too / au where Gray never got his memory wiped.





	1. Part One

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My first fic! I really enjoyed the show and I love this pairing, hope it’ll be canon in s2. Enjoy!

Night had fallen and a blue glow illuminated the empty museum. Shapes of the museum rarities were cast on the walls of the central display room. One shadow in particular danced across the wall, seemingly the silhouette of a woman, in a trench coat.

Carmen Sandiego was on her current mission. The Hope Diamond was being transported from the Museum of Natural History in Washington DC to the Louvre’s central display room before a large charity gala the next week. With all her intel, Carmen had good reason to believe that V.I.L.E. was going to act. She needed to steal the diamond before they did, and then return it when V.I.L.E. moved on.

She reached the large circular safe door and was about to assess the mechanism, when the door began to open. She stepped back immediately placing herself into a stance. Either a museum guard was locking up or someone else was going for the jewel.

A tall, well-built frame came from behind the door. With swept back brown hair, the colour barely distinguishable in the moonlight, and a striking chiseled profile, she instantly knew who it was.  
“Gray!”  
Carmen shouted as the familiar man turned towards her with a shocked, yet somehow still cocky, expression on his face and diamond in hand. He was going after her diamond!

She lunged forward, causing him to fall, his back against the floor.  
“Not the greeting I was planning on baby.” That smirk again.

Ignoring his comment she spoke, annoyed, “V.I.L.E. isn’t having that diamond,” her voice came out strained as she tried reaching over him but with his free hand locked on her waist, and the hand with the diamond in it just out of reach, Carmen was left squirming against him.

“Who said anything about V.I.L.E.” His cheshire grin just inches above her face, her chin against his chest. It hit her how close they were. She was pressed against him and his arm, with no space between, feeling his slowing breaths on her neck. Gray’s sharp features grew closer and before she even realised what he was doing, the hand on her waist tightened and he leaned in.

She felt his hot lips on hers and Carmen, frozen for just a moment, couldn’t help but respond to his movements. She stopped reaching for the diamond and instead let her hands fall and tangle themselves in his swept up hair.

God he was her enemy, they had old connections, yes, but that was long gone after he had betrayed her. But now as his tongue slipped into her mouth, she couldn’t help but let him.

She was so wrapped up that she didn’t even notice nimble fingers wrapping around her grappling hook, pulling it out of the holster attached on the side of her thigh.

He didn’t want to let go. This closeness he rarely experienced, and especially not with her, but he had to distract her. It would be wrong to waste the moment, so he was of course going to make the most of it. His hand trailed across her figure once more as their lips met a final time, tongues greeting each other again.

She heard a clang above her, moving her head to see what it was, instantaneously breaking them apart despite him stilling holding her to his chest.  
“Gray?”  
She asked, looking from him to the hook on window.

“Later lambkins,” he half whispered against her neck. Crackle engaged the grappling hook, ascending rapidly to the opened ceiling window she had entered through. 

Carmen was left, confused, in the moonlit display room. Infuriated with herself for becoming distracted, while sirens flashed red and blue in the not so far off distance.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading, this is my first fic, please read the second part!


	2. Part Two

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The second part to this fic, enjoy!

Despite the loss of The Hope Diamond, Carmen still had another part to her mission, there was still the charity gala for the other highly acclaimed pieces. Though she still couldn’t get the previous week’s events out of her mind, unsettled by the secret longing for their closeness once again.

Donned in her signature red, though this time opting for a fitted, ankle length evening dress, she headed to the back entrance of the Louvre’s display room.

“Carmen,” Player’s voice bounced between her ears, ”Crackle’s here, he’s with a woman, dark blonde, white gown, mid twenties.”

Her pace wavered slightly, “What do you mean Gray’s with another woman?”

“They’re walking down the carpet together now” Player replied staring at the aerial view of the red carpet from his screen. “How close are you?”

“Not far,” Carmen reached the back entrance, proceeding to the display hall where most of the guests had amassed. “Get me a follow up on her” Carmen said in a low voice as she scanned the artworks.

Keeping to the sides of the room she waited till she saw what she was looking for, or rather a form of it. A large print of The Lacemaker by Johannes Vermeer, used as the staple piece behind the large font advertising the gala. The original was priceless, Countess Cleo would surely be after it.

“I got the follow up on that woman, Ivory Banks, she’s a prestigious art collector.” Player entered her ear.

Practically ignoring the information of the mystery woman, Carmen responded, “Why is he out in the open, if he’s here to steal something then he shouldn’t be drawing attention to himself, it’s stealth 101.” She commented, slightly louder than she should have.

“Maybe he’s not here to steal, he could just be a plus one Carmen.”

She stood back, still looking at the poster, taking a breath before realising she had to carry on with her mission.

She needed to get backstage to find all the pieces before the showcase started.  
She reached the right side of the stage, eyeing a door just behind the drapes. She pushed against the door and entered.

There were no staff behind the stage, the showcase wasn’t for half an hour so most likely they were still greeting guests.

Player interrupted her thoughts, “hey Carmen, Tigress is here too, she’s on the roof, seems like she just got here. It doesn’t make sense, her and Crackle don’t seem to be together, or even communicating but she’s definitely working for V.I.L.E.. Why are they both here, it’s a one man job for these people”.

Carmen was left confused again. What is Gray doing here? She saw him across the room now, from behind the stage, chatting with the blonde. She could hear her laughter from here, how obnoxious did this woman need to be. 

She decided to wander round, see just how many pieces were here, and find The Lacemaker most importantly. 

She had been going though the whole left side of the stage for five minuets and there was no sign of it. Carmen decided to return back to her previous spot and start looking there. She turned round, looking up now, begining to cross the room. She was shocked, however, to see Gray knelt down by one of the boxes with a briefcase. She knew he wasn’t just some girl’s plus one! He noticed her in the corner of his eye and got up, catching her gaze as she’d frozen for a moment. 

“We need to stop meeting like this Red.”

“Shouldn’t you be back with your date?” 

“She’s just my cover, doesn’t even know about my, uh, profession. I wanted to see you.” Carmen was taken aback.

“What do you mean Gray, first you steal the diamond I was after and now your trying for The Lacemaker? Tigress is here so your clearly with V.I.L.E., what are you doing?”

“I told you I’m not with V.I.L.E..” He stepped closer, clearing most of the stage between them. “Look after seeing you on the train I needed to see you again.”

“Wanting to see me isn’t the same as kissing me Gray! I don’t get it. Was that just a scape goat to distract me?”

“Come on Carmen, of course not, well I guess it was partly, but what am I supposed to do with you wriggling, all pressed against me, you initiated it!”

“Me? I initiated it? You stole the diamond that I was after, I was just getting it back.”

“Not from where I was lying.” 

“So you just stole it, to what, see me?”

“Yes!” His tone had become louder in exasperation.

“Oh.”

He took one step closer, completely closing the space between them, forcing her to look up at him, due to the height difference.

“You know I care for you, just because we’re on slightly different sides doesn’t mean there can’t be something between us, because there definitely is Carmen, you know it.” It made him cringe when he thought of how she’d said she seen him like a big brother.

“Slightly different sides—“ she muttered.

He cut her off, “I’m not even with V.I.L.E. anymore! I left because after seeing you on the train and looking back on my past, I realized that wasn’t the life I wanted.”

His cocky demeanor had vanished by now, no ‘baby’ or ‘lambkins’. Carmen didn’t know how to respond, staring at him, for once unable to speak.

“I get it if you don’t feel the same, alright? I just wanted to see you and talk. I don’t know. I don’t know what I expected.” He turned his head away, not quite wanting to move away from her yet, but still too embarrassed to look her in the eye.

“Gray,” she spoke softly, her hand almost instinctively reached for his cheek. She lifted her other hand up, allowing her fingers to wrap round the nape of his neck. He turned to look at her now, unsure of what she was doing or about to do.

She lifted up on her tiptoes, eyes becoming lidded, and started leaning towards him. It was painfully obvious how his eyes went from hers to her lips. Carmen closed the distance then, capturing his lips with her own. She began wrapping her arms around him, frantically almost, trying to hold on. Gray, now taking control, started pushing Carmen back till she was up against a stack of boxes.

His large hands went to her waist, hoisting her on his hips. Her legs wrapped round him instinctively, the slit in her dress allowing her to do so. She let out a muffled noise of pleasure when his tongue darted inside her mouth. His hands began trailing up and down on her waist. Carmen’s fingers tugged on his hair, earning her a groan from him.

His mouth moved from hers to the crook of her neck, staying there to graze her skin and spread kisses over her.

“Hey Carmen,” he whispered into her neck, then moving his face in front of hers. She met his eyes, questioning him. He was about to continue when-

The door knob started rattling, causing the pair to look up. Gray put Carmen down and grabbed her hand. “We need to get out of here.”

Before she could argue Gray had lead her to the back of the room and out another door. 

“Gray the painting!” Carmen exclaimed when the got out. He smirked at her, brown hair flopping on his face. He lifted up the briefcase he had earlier and smiled, opening it, revealing the painting. She looked at him, surprised. “Gray..”

“When you were looking in the far right boxes I just so happened to see it lying in a box next to the stage door.” He stated, still smiling.

“Hey Carmen, sorry to, uh, interrupt you and Crackle but the showcase is starting.” Player spoke in her ear.

Player! She completely forgot that her earpiece was still in. Oh god she was so embarrassed, he would have heard the whole thing. “Oh Player I’m sorry—“

“Save it, i don’t want details, I muted it after things went out too far for my comfort. Just start heading to the train station.”

Carmen hid behind her hands. “Come on Lambkins, let’s go.” Gray held out his hand for her, “we’ve got a train to catch m’lady.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading, please follow me on tumblr for more red Crackle related stuff @ficartsy , and any feedback is welcome!
> 
> Thanks again!


End file.
